The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-01-05
JACK TAR'S WORK.
INGENIOUS WORK OF SAILORS
IN HOURS OF LEISURE.
Realistic Marine Pictures, Carvings
From Tusks of Sea Lions, Tennis
Nets and Racquets, Mendcd
Pipes, Mats and Toys.

Inc 1aVOrlte place lot luyluS up tue
great yachting fleet that graces the har-
Dor of New York is South Brooklyn.
Here in basins especially reserved for
them may be found scores of the sleek
racers and cruisers. Nearly every one
has a shipkeeper, whose chief occnpa-
tion is in keeping his pipe we'll filled
with tobacco and the fire in it burning,
although if occasion required he would
not hesitate to shovel snow from the
deck of his vessel or give it rinse down
after long dry spell. Still, this is not
all that these sailor men find to do. The
barroom or hotel where many of them
20 is ornamented with two unique speci-
mems of the handiwork of Tom Willis,
one of the yacht sailor men, who has
cruised off and on about this port for no
one knows how many years. In neat
frames hang curious pictures of
the sloop yacht Atlantic and the
steamer Corsair At little dis
tante they seem to be ploughing
through water that rises up around the
vessel and drops cleaning back again,
while the spectator is quite sure that he
detects q shadow thrown by tho sails on
to other parts of the picture. A closer
inspection shows that the shadow is not
altogether 4 delusion, for the sails actu-
ally stand out clear Of the background,
being made of stiff paper and. painted so
as to look exactly like miniature canvas.
The hull, spars, and rigging are found
to be not painted, as at first glance one
might think they were, but embroidered
or worked with silk. The sharp bows
that seem to be glistening wet with spray
are made Of shiny black silk thread. The
yellow masts, for all the world like Ore
gon pine, are made of yellow silk. The
sheets and halliards are made of fine
threads of the same material and are ex-
ceedingly realistic, but the best feature
of all is perhaps the brass handrails sup
ported by brass stanchions, where lemon.
colored silk makes the delusion perfect.
The most minute details are all worked
out, the effect being heightened by the
fact that everything is made to an exact
scale. The background is painted, and
it is creditably executed. The old sailor
has so many of them to make that he no
longer ships as foremast hand even in
the summer season. ,-..
Ap%5ld sailor who sat the other day in
theSSouth Brooklyn hotel mentioned said
that sailors on long voyages worked
over such things because ttey had to do
something to pass the time, and not from
any great hope of making money. The
market value of such thing was very
small when the time required to make
one was considered. Even Tom Willis's
artistically embroidered pictures were
sold for only $25 each. But picture
making was not the only employment of
the sailor man when off duty. In whal-
ing voyages 1t was common for the men
to get hold of the tusks of sea lions,
which they engraved with figures Of
ships, or of dancing girls with voluptu-
GUS forms and scanty apparel, or, rarely,
of cottage with a neat yard that had
children playing in it.
ga shipmate of m:ne," he said, "once
spent his leisure for eighteen months on
a pair of those tusks. When finished
they showed illustrations of the natives
of the Northwest coast, their habitations
and implements, ETC., that would tell
more at a glance of the life of a North
west coast Indian than could be learned
IN three chapters of big book, and yet
when he got ashore he sold them to the
clearinghouse boss for nights liquor,
and last week they were on sale in q
Chatham street pawnshop for q dollar
and half. His stock of tools included
a sheath knife and two or three bits of
wire sharpened on holystone.
Reckless of their money as sailors are
known to be when on spree, they are
models of economy when at sea on a
long voyage. Spare hours are devoted
10 mending their clothing, the sole OBJ
iect in selecting patch where one is
needed being to get q patch that will
stand as much wear as possible. Dunga-
Zee trousers patched with piece of
lib or topsail that has been blown to
pieces are not uncommon. The pipe
which Jack brings op board. if of clay,
may be broken, but the pieces are care
fully saved and dowelled together with
bits of wire ingeniously. If the pipe be
of wood piece of an old tin can that
has held cabin grub is obtained from the
steward, and with it neat fitting lining
is made for the pipe that prolongs the
existence of the wooden bowl until it
has strength that would make a long
ahoreman turn pale. The sailors sheath
knife cuts the tin to the right size, and n
marline spike helps to round it into
form.
Now and then sailor is found who is
forehanded enough to carry material
along in his clothes bag with which he
can while away hours below more profit
ably than in making the ordinary hall
model pi lures or engraving sea lions
tasks. Twine for making fish nets is
iavorite arUIL.,o fa- Jack to work with.
rrhe price of nets is so shl.... n these
days, however, that he does not make -
much at that work as he used to do. Not
long ago sailor came ashore here after a
round voyage to Portland, Oregon.
carrying two good tennis racquets in his
hand. He had got the materials IN
Oregon. Not unfrequently sailor can
be found who can so manipulate gold
coin that ring nicely p)lishcd on the
outside and yet showing the name and
date of the coin on the inside is pro-
duccd. A marline spike and hammer
with piece of leather for polisher are
the only tools used.
Alatmaking is another favorite occu-
patton of the sailor man. He usually
works with fine materials such rs silks
and worsted, and the care and skill and
taste with which these materials are
wrought together are wonderful. Many
Ill. In tho uoeanls thai enter this MORT